Ok, so although my review is a couple days late (I was going to write it before my trip to Canada, but I ended up getting caught up and busy and was not able to put it up until now,) I fully intend on bringing you the review…NOW!!!
Any Guy Ritchie film has a few things going for it from the get-go: All have stars that you have probably seen before; all have an Extremely “British” feel; and a personal opinion is that all should be watched when you are completely cognizant of your surroundings (a.k.a. not tired, intoxicated, in other words operating on a “clean” mind), yet every time I seemed to have watched one of Mr. Richies films, that last part has always evaded me. Even though I try to soak it all in, watching his movies, which are already somewhat muddled, while tired is quite a Herculean task.
Out of all that I have seen though by Mr. Richie, I would have to say that Revolver sticks up there as one of my favorites. Maybe it was Andre 3000, maybe it was the well done leads by Jason Statham and Ray Liota, but Revolver goes past other Richie classics (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch) as my favorite piece of work that he has done. I thought that Andre 3000 and “that guy from the Sopranos” (Vincent Pastore) played the role of Jake Green’s (Statham) allies very well, and Liota delivers a certainly memorable performance as the films villain Dorothy Macha. All of the other parts for the most part are quite minor, as a large part of the dialogue is an internal monologue of Greens head as he tries to figure out the situation that he has found himself entwined in. While the film does wear itself thin at points (much like many of Ritchie’s pieces), the parts that are played are very consistent, and Statham plays the “Ritchie Role” as I like to call it, very well because, well, he Is very British. The monologue idea seemed to work Quite well in my mind because there is really no better way to convey a sense of “what just happened” more than putting the viewer in the mind of the person whom that event just happened to.
Its hard to say whether or not I would recommend this movie, because Ritchie has a style that is very off-kilter from many other directors. The style and humor that he goes for may deter many people from watching, but I would suggest that you do try to get your way through this movie, because the jokes are more mainstream than in other Ritchie productions, and the twist at the end is something that a viewer would never really expect unless looking for it directly.
If you happen to like Revolver though after watching it, or are enthused to watch it after reading this review and enjoy it, I would highly recommend that you watch his other movies, mainly the two previously mentioned, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and if you really enjoy those two, you could even delve deeper into Ritchies catalogue (the only other film of his that I have seen is Rock n’ Rolla which I can’t have an opinion on because I was VERY tired and was falling asleep throughout the movie). I have done some delving with the Coen Brothers filmography (I still need to see The Hudsucker Proxy), and I can say that it is a very rewarding thing to see how the directing has changed throughout the films that they have made.
In summation, Revolver is definitely a movie that I would recommend you see. A Classic? Maybe Not, but a movie that you can watch and get some laughs with some close friends? Definitely. While the movie (and most of Ritchie’s works) appeal mostly to those of us with the XY chromosome, laughs can also be had by the ladies, which makes this a very solid Comedy/Drama/Action film.
Revolver: 4 out of 5
The Northwest Screen Guy 